Stop the Coolum Sandmine!

We are a coastal town on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. We do not want to see the proposed sand mine go ahead in Coolum Beach.

There are many reasons why the location is completely inappropriate, however our top 4 are as follows:

Our town relies heavily on tourism, it is a small coastal strip and the land in question sits at the very entrance to Coolum Beach. Not only this traffic traveling from the airport North to Noosa will be greeted with a visual eyesore as their introduction to the Sunshine Coast.

The Coolum Beach State Primary School sits on the opposite corner of the proposed site. Over 1000 of our local children attend this school on a daily basis. They would be subjected to any noise and dust produced by the mine. They would also be affected by the coming and going of trucks outside their school, especially during peak traffic times (before and after school) when there is already bumper to bumper traffic.

The residents of Coolum Beach will be directly affected by the mine. Particularly the ones with homes overlooking the the mine. The sight, noise and dust will be intolerable. We have concerns for the health of our community. Our property prices will decrease and sales have already begun to be affected with talk of the mine.

The environmental implications are extensive. Throughout this parcel of land there are waterways with extensive mangroves and vegetation. The water flows directly into the Maroochy River, but also into our local Stumers Creek which in turn leads to the ocean. In addition to this the land is flood prone and floods yearly. With the creation of pools for the mine there is concern this will encourage flooding and that the water will not be clean. There is also the question of what else lies in the sand (ie. Acid Sulfate) that will be disturbed creating an imbalance in the natural ecosystem.